With all the
tributes to Michael Jackson, little attention is paid to the early history
of the Jackson Five, especially their pre-Motown recordings. We’ve searched
the Classic Urban Harmony Archives to bring you a photographic record of
some of the rarer collectable records from the Jackson Five.

The Jackson
Five were from Gary, Indiana, a city steeped in vocal harmony history.
The older of the Jackson brothers (Tito and Jermaine) attended Roosevelt
High School, the same school that launched the career of the 1950’s R&B
group, the Spaniels. [Michael left the city of Gary when he was eleven but
was later given an honorary degree from Roosevelt.] In fact, the
Jackson’s home at 2300 Jackson Street was only a couple of blocks from where
Spaniels’ lead James Pookie Hudson grew up in the Delaney housing projects.
There are some reports that the Jackson brothers’ father, Joe Jackson,
occasionally harmonized with the Four Bees, forerunners of the Spaniels, but
we’ve not been able to confirm this. Joe Jackson in his earlier years did
play guitar with his own group the Falcons. We believe there is no
connection with his group and the more famous Falcons who were from
Detroit.

The Jackson
Five signed with Gordon Keith’s local Steeltown Records in November
1967. Keith also had the Calumet and BoMoKeith labels. The
Jackson Five’s first record for Steeltown (# 681) was “Big Boy” b/w
“You’ve Changed” which came out on an orange label without
“Distributed by Atco” at the bottom. STEELTOWN was in all capital letters.
The record first came out in January 1968 and very few copies were made. It
was probably only sold by the Jackson Five at their performance around Gary,
IN. We’ve never had a copy of this first press in our archives.

Within a
couple months, “Big Boy” was picked up for distribution by Atco Records.
Subsequent copies had “Distributed by Atco Records, 1841 Broadway New York,
NY” at the bottom of the label. Promotional (dj) copies were white, stock
copies were in red. We’ve also seen a copy of the promo white label with
only the “S” of Steeltown a capital, and the label name in script print.

The Jackson
Five’s second record was “You Don’t Have To Be Over 21” b/w “Jam Session”.
This record was issued as STEEL-TOWN 682 on a blue label with no
distribution. We have another variation with no label number and
“Distributed by V.W.M. Distributors, 1630 Broadway, Gary, Indiana” on the
top of the label. Presumably this came second.

One
controversial Steeltown release is # 688, released late in
1968. “Let Me Carry Your School Books” b/w “I Never had A Girl” by “The
Ripples and Waves Plus Michael” sounds similar to the Jackson Five and was
long suspected to be them. Recent information, uncovered by
www.indiana45s.com concludes that the Ripples and Waves are NOT the Jackson Five
but a separate Gary, IN, group recording for Steeltown. We've
included a newspaper photo published on their website of the real Ripples &
Waves (below). Further, a reliable source has informed us that the “Plus
Michael” isnot Michael Jackson.

The Ripples &
Waves Plus Michael. The Ripples and Waves are NOT the Jackson Five.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)

Above clipping reads: "New Jackson Five? Ripples And
Waves - Making their bid for national recognition, just like the Jackson
Five before them, are the Ripples and Waves (R&W) of Gary. Managed by
Gordon Keith, who developed the Jackson[s], R&W are students of Beckman,
Emerson, West Side and Mann schools. Their lead song is "Let Me Carry
Your School Books." The Ripples and Waves are, front row from left,
bass guitarist Warren Rocker, drummer Phillip Mack and lead guitarist Elvy
Woodward; rear, Gordon Keith, manager; bass singer Larry Holmes, lead singer
Ronald Bills and second lead Lawrence Clark."

As the
Jackson Five signed with Motown, Musicor purchased some Steeltown
sides and released them on their Dynamo subsidiary. A previously
unreleased side, “Some Girls Want Me For their Lover” was paired with the
previously released “You Don’t Have To Be Over 21” as Dynamo # 146.

Finally, at
the height of the Jackson Five’s popularity, at leased 12 of their records
were pressed in cardboard on the backs of cereal boxes. The same labels
were used a series of choices and the purchaser could see which song was on
the box by the number stamped in a circle.

"ABC" from
the back of a cereal box.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)

"I Want You
Back" from the back of a cereal box.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)

"Sugar Daddy"
from the back of a cereal box.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)

"Never Can
Say Goodbye" from the back of a cereal box.
(From the Classic Urban Harmony Archives)

We've
recently
become aware of this interview 45 by the Jackson Five from around 1970.
It features a short interview with all the members of the Jackson Five.